man wanted for sexual assault took a turn when he opened fire on the officers killing them. this is video minutes after the tragedy. we have team coverage tonight. ama dates is on the heros of the tragedy. >> we will begin with leslie brinkley and a community absolutely in shock. leslie? >> that's right, dan. two police officers lost their lives here. that has never, ever happened in santa cruz before. you know that moment when the shock hits you and the tears haven't started flowing yet, that's where santa cruz is at tonight. >> we were feeling sad for that policeman. we went over and prayed. >> they protect your world in santa cruz. >> this quiet beach town of 60,000 residents is in mourning. all ages turned out to pay tribute to detective elizabeth butler and sergeant butch baker. his best friend passed out candles, but couldn't bear to

talk yet. this was all still too overwhelming. >> his son is a community officer i work closely with. elizabeth has two really small children. they are going to grow up without their mother. that's very sad. she was an exceptional mom. >> deborah elston coordinated this vigil after getting inundated with e-mails. >> i was getting lots of e-mails from the neighbors. what can we do? how can we help? we need to talk. >> this was the best way we felt that the community can come together. no speeches. no nothing. just come and be with each other, write your thoughts down. >> i don't know what to do. it is like i am jittery. i am just messed up. >> we are part of such a small community. nothing like this has ever happened before. these officers have been part of this community for such a longtime and it is important

to be strong and be one as we go through this. >> night and day person after person after person brought candles, flowers or a handwritten note. a wall of them embracing the santa cruz police station. >> and it is a wall of flowers and heart felt sympathy that continues to grow. tomorrow the mayor says they will be making an announcement about funds they are working to set up to support the families of those officers. also plans for a community memorial service. many people told me tonight they don't think santa cruz will ever be the same. reporting live, leslie brinkley, abc7 news. >> leslie, thanks. firefighters and paramedics rushed to the scene once they got the word that two officers had been shot. this is what they heard before heading into the cross fire. >> he has another victim of another gunshot wound. scene is not secure. repeat. scene is not secure.

>> firefighters even shielded innocent by standers from bullets. an abc7 news reporter ama dates is live from santa cruz with that part of the story. certainly, ama, they behaved courageously as well. >> they certainly did. ask any firefighter and they will say they were just doing their job. the firefighters who found themselves in the lean of fire yesterday did not have to work today. they were sent home so they could rest and recover from what they went through. >> we don't respond with officers down. we don't expect to go on that call. it is one we never want to go to. >> but that's exactly where santa cruz firefighters found themselves yesterday. sky 7hd shows the scene where a ladder truck and engine and battalion chief responded to the call for help when detective sergeant lauren butch baker and elizabeth butler were shot. the crews were attending to the detectives when the shooter returned to the area and began firing at officers nearby. >> they took cover behind the truck and took some citizens.

one lady was put down on the ground with one of the firefighters shielding her. >> the battalion chief won't say who protected the woman, but it may have saved her life. the truck took four bullets. >> the firefighter who do it did it self-leslie to protect them. that's what we are here for, the heroic efforts of of those who went to do their job and unfortunately lost their lives. they are the heros in this. >> reporter: at a news conference we learned the two plain clothed detectives went to his house because he was a suspect in an assault investigation. the santa cruz county sheriff says after he killed them, he stole sergeant baker's car and left the scene, but then returned to the area where he fired at officers. those officers shot back and killed him. when the gun fight was over, police discovered he was wearing body armor. >> there is a possibility that it came from standard police equipment that was either in officer baker's car or on one

of the officers or he possessed it on his own. >> reporter: he had more than one handgun. >> at the scene of his death he possessed three weapons. both officers were unarmed when they were found at his doorstep. we believe he took their weapons after the altercation with them. >> reporter: we are expecting another news conference tomorrow. we should learn whether either detective was wearing a bulletproof vest at the time of the shooting. the sheriff's department and the chp were patrolling the streets of santa cruz to give them a moment to process the loss of their two officers. but santa cruz police should be back on the streets tomorrow. ama dates, abc7 news. >> thank you. >> the i team has dug into his past and was arrested on his peeping tom arrest and military record. they released documents detailing his service in the marine core for six years. marine corp for six years.

he served as a military police officer with the marines and flew blackhawk helicopters for the army. he received several medals including one for being a sharpshooter. he was also convicted of being a peeping tom in oregon. he used to live in berkeley where his former downstairs neighbor and co-worker considered moving away after learning about his criminal past. >> i didn't know at all until i googled him. i heard rumors like you should probably google this guy. i did and saw his picture. i was shocked. >> santa cruz arrest logs show he was picked up for disorderly conduct involving alcohol. goulet's father said sergeant baker and detective butler were looking for him yesterday to question him about breaking into a co-worker's home and making inappropriate advances toward her. that's when they were shot. >> hundreds of abc7 news viewers sent con doll --

condolences to the family and friends of the officers killed. you can send your thoughts to abc.com/abc news. santa rosa police need your help to find a man who drove away after hitting a man. the victim was hit by a light colored newer model mercedes-benz sedan. the driver appeared to be a man in his 30s with dark colored hair. reserved seating only for the address to the city. it included the crime problem and the need for more than 200 officers. the police force is targeting the most violent people in the city. more civilians she says will be taking police reports so that officers can spend more time fighting crime. she says the newest, most diverse police academy is already in training. >> it means for 200 more officers basically $73 million for the budget. now what does that mean? >> it is going to take something big.

it will probably take a tax measure. that's the kind of thing that we really need to talk about. >> quan did not talk about how much more they will have to shell out for more police officers. public safety makes up 50% of the city's budget. mayor quan says residents will have to make some tough decisions this year. smoke filled the skies after a fire broke out in a home. the fire started around 5:20. one person was hurt, but the injuries appear to be minor we are glad to tell you. as you can see from sky 7hd, they had to cut holes to battle the fire. we the helicopter shots and we may get to those. investigators are still trying to figure out exactly what started this fire. but again as you look down from sky 7hd, no one was hurt seriously. >> a walnut creek man is in custody after police say he tried to seduce underaged girls for sex through facebook messages and texts. parents of girls at walnut

creek intermediate school were notified. livermore police arrested three teens in a cyberbullying case connected to the woman known as hummer mom. she was arrested for a parole violation last week after days of completing her sentence of having sex with two 14-year-old boys in her hummer. her rearrest for having porn in her home coincided with cyber threats targeting one of the victims. police say three teens arrested are all friends of hub's children and hubs herself was not connected to the threats. the brentwood school board voted to fire grant with a vote of 4-1 for his dismissal. grant was put on administrative leave a week ago for the handling of a special ed teacher convicted of kicking a five-year-old student with autism. the board says the school system needs new leadership. doug adams will take over on an interim basis.

>> we are beginning to have some talk of rain in the forecast. let's check in with sandhya paw dispel live doppler 7hd. >> we will be talking about rain, but right now we are talking about sprinkles and a few light showers showing up around ukiah. as you look, here is the radar and it is tracking this warm front. it is just really light moisture. ukiah has picked up light showers. and so for -- so far a hundredth of an inch. as we look across the bay, the visibility is fine and the temperatures are quite mild in the mid40s to the low 50s thanks to all of the cloud cover. sprinkles will remain, but i will let you know when the real rain will get here and it will feel like winter coming up. dan and carolyn? >> thank you. coming up next, neighbors are counting on each other when it comes to safety. >> and the social media tool

people are using to help protect their neighborhood. we'll explain how that works. >> the cause for an emergency room visit. the price swing from hospital to hospital. >> and you can see a lot of skinny women in ads, but what really gets people to about i a product? we will vea that story. we'll have that story. >> we have music from gold field and i will get gordon ramsey to say something nice about me. it might take awhile.

social networks make it easy to connect with friend around the world. but what about the folks right around the corner? jonathon bloom has a look at why silicon valley investors are betting big on a new social network designed specifically for neighbors. >> one of your other neighbors is putting up signs that

security cameras are in use. >> when they moved to oakland oak more district years ago they never dreamed they would be considering surveillance cameras. >> we are frustrated by the reduction in the police force that's happened, and that's definitely contributed to crime i think. >> people who commit the crimes are getting much more brazen. the fact that they feel that they can go ahead and kick in doors whether there are people there or not is not a good thing. >> after one especially violent robbery they started to organize using a social network called next door. >> next door is a private social network. >> they say while we are busy reaching out to friends around the world on facebook, we might be ignoring our neighbors. >> you see them when you take your dog out for a walk. you see them whether you coming in and out of the garage, but you don't know their names. it makes it easy to get to know them, and once you have a critical mass of neighbors you know you can start to solve problems. >> the defining feature is that it requires you to prove

you actually live in the neighborhood before you can see or post messages. you have to answer a home phone call or get a postcard with a special code. >> when you are talking about things related to your home and your address and where your children go to school, it is important to trust the people you are communicating with. >> you can post about something you lost, a good local doctor, but one of the best uses is crime prevention. >> literally within minutes we all know what is going on or there is a suspicious car in the neighborhood. >> next door's public safety value is put to the test in menlo park a couple months ago. that's when police descended on this quiet neighborhood looking for two armed suspect. >> my husband is home with our two-year-old daughter. he sees a police officer's car zooming to say the least down the street. >> she says her husband used next door to send out a text message alert. neighbors stayed in their home and shared what they knew. >> pictures being shared. the realtime update of what was happening was i think the most important factor of it

all. >> police departments are taking note. belmont police use next door to track down and arrest a man driving around exposing himself. >> we put the alert out over next door, and one of the neighbors in the neighborhood communicated back that he might have the suspect vehicle and the suspect on his home security camera. >> stories like that earned the attention of sill silicon valley investors to the tune of $40 million. rebecca grant explains why it is a good bet. >> this is a company where even if my mother hasn't heard of it, i explain it and they get it. >> they will likely use the money to expand. >> they were contacted by a city councilman in barcelona about whether or not they were going to be able to set something up in europe. >> but barcelona hardly matter to these two neighbors who didn't know each other until they joined next door. >> it fostered a positive sense of community in the neighborhood. i'm glad it is here. >> in oaknd la, jonathon

bloom, abc7 news. it is already thursday morning at the vatican where the pope has begun his last day as head of the catholic church. the light in the pope's suite over looking saint peter's square went dark. that was after pope benedict made his final public appearance in front of 15,000 people at saint peter's square. benedict is the first pope in 600 years to resign from the papacy. stay with us for continuing cufnlg of the farewell to -- continuing with the farewell to pope benedict. researchers at ucsf say the cost of emergency care varies by tens of thousands of dollars depending on which hospital you are at. out of pocket charges for something like a sprain or muscle strain can cost as little as $4 or 24,000. headache treatments range from $15 to more than 17,000. a urinary tract infection might cost you $50 or

$73,000. 2* calls for more transparency in emergency care charges. forget skinny supermodels. bigger models can mean bigger profits. women are less likely to buy products if they are sold by models and celebrities. that's because thin women make them feel bad about themselves. researchers say a better way to increase sales is to use a more subtle image. another warm, winter day, but changes are coming. >> yes, sandhya patel is here with the forecast. >> dan and carolyn, cooler and wetter weather is on the horizon than what we are seeing right now. as we look at live doppler 7hd, our radar is picking up this batch of moisture here. it is this association with a weak warm front that is coming through. ukiah has picked up a little light rain and cloverdale and santa rosa, only a few sprinkles. it is going to remain north of the bay area. here is what is coming tomorrow. if you are thinking, god, i didn't get a chance to enjoy today's weather, have you

time. 71 is the high temperature and the average is 63. it is a good 8 dries where you -- 8 degrees where you should be this time of year. san jose you will notice 69 tomorrow afternoon. you really should be in the mid60s, 5 degrees above average. it has been this way for a few days now, but it is all changing. rain is come together bay area and snow to the sierra nevada. we are giving uh view of heavenly and you can see that there is snow on the ground, but they are going to be seeing a chance of some rain and snow by sunday and certainly a better possibility tuesday into wednesday. it is quite mild. 52 in santa rosa and napa and fairfield. we have 40s and 50s elsewhere. that's thanks to the cloud cover. temperatures will remain higher. sprinkles north and sunny and mild on thursday afternoon and it peeks into fro friday. into friday. the high pressure has been really controlling our weather, but this warm front

is coming through and that's why we are seeing the sprinkles and light showers around ukiah and santa rosa. the warmer part of the air mass will arrive on friday, and that's where the temperatures will peak before we see them fall heading into the weekend. look out for a few sprinkles, but other than that we are looking at high clouds tomorrow. and by the afternoon they will thin out to mostly sunny day with mild temperatures. morning lows are really not on the chilly side considering the last couple days we were dealing with low to mid30s. most areas will wake up to the 40s. we will see a few upper 30s, but you don't have to worry about a heavy coat or jacket. tomorrow afternoon it is a nice day in the south bay. 71 in loss gat foes and 72 santa cruz and 69 san jose. occasional high clouds and lots of sun. 68 palo alto, redwood city. 60 degrees and same for the sunset district, downtown san francisco, 63. in the north bay 70s 70s from ukiah to cloverdale and santa

rosa. east bay, 67 in oakland. concord and fairfield up to 70 degrees. accu-weather seven-day forecast featuring change. it is cooler over the week end. chance of sprinkle on saturday. don't can sell plans. we have rain coming in tuesday and wednesday. abc7 news has a great weather resource for you. follow for the latest bay area weather conditions. the weather is changing quickly. we went from having some clouds to sprinkles and light showers. >> shine to rain. >> sports is next. >> stay with u

this was the hottest curry ever. steph curry lit up madison square garden. a season high 54 points tonight. not enough to beat the knicks. it was the short shorts in 1987. snug. now he is in armani. curry helped to raise a 12-point lead. it was a one-game suspension. the entire offense had 27 points and unconscious.

it is raining three's. there is 85%. in the fourth, curry grabs the loose ball. his 10th of the game and that is a franchise record. warriors are up 199 and curry unstoppable. he is doing his dance. and then they did stop. tied at 105 and a block on curry. he had 35 with the knicks. curry finishes with a career high 54 and 113's and -- 11, three's. joe montana and steve bono and the 49er quarterbacks who ended up in kansas city. smith will be traded on march 12th with the niners getting two draft picks in return. a conditional pick the following year based on alex's play. so ends alex's eight-year run and filled with ups and downs and way too many offensive coordinators to count. smith has been a good soldier for all of the demotions and

the tough times c colin kaepernick -- with colin kaepernick starting. he gets what he wants. it works out for both sides. logic would suggest that saint mary's has locked up a bid to the ncaa tournament. if you are randy bennett forget logic. get more wins. the man leading the way. stick with your shot. he had 25 points and it was the all-time scoring record. win number 2587-48. they are at home facing colorado. did somebody slip the tree some red bull? it is an 18-2 run. stanford down two. dwight powell gets the inbound pass. tick, tick, tick, but look at

the clock. 000 and the ball still in his hands. stanford loses in heartbreaking fashion. 65-63. abc7 sports brought to you by river rock casino. >> it was somber after that. up next, the accidental theft that turned into a b

here is a look at your wake up weather. upper 30s to upper 40s at 5:00 a.m. 4:30 to 7:00 a.m. with updates. >> thank you very much. visitors love to take souvenirs home, but few do what one girl did. >> she wrote a letter to the rangers at yosemite to tell them she accidentally took two sticks home with her after a recent visit. >> they were so impressed they took photos of the sticks at

various places and sent them to find out which spot she liked best. >> well done. >> that is this edition of abc7 news. >> jimmy kimmle live is up next. thanks for watching. >> we appreciate your time, for larry, sandhya, have

>> dicky: from hollywood, it's "jimmy kimmel live!" tonight -- gordon ramsay, stanley tucci and music from gold fields with cleto and the cletones. and now, i'm happy to inform you, here's jimmy kimmel! ♪ [ cheers and applause ]

>> jimmy: that's very kind. i'm jimmy. time host of the show. thank you for watching. thank you for coming. we've got quite a lineup for you tonight, music from an australian band called gold fields. why i don't know you personally, i think you will enjoy them. stanley tucci is here. you can call him the tucc, he prefers it. the always profane chef gordon ramsay is with us. i think he's going to teach us thousand make horse meatballs. [ applause ] i found myself in a weird position today. i'm feuding. i'm in the middle of a celebrity feud. with morrissey. [ laughter ] i'm at warrissey. he's singer. i would even go so far as to call him a legend, and he is. he's also a vegetarian. he was supposed to be on our show last night but he cancelled when he found out the guys from the show "duck dynasty" would b